3 eating principles to help "clean" blood fat

Saturated fats are found in butter, cheese, red meat and other animal-based foods. Science has shown that saturated fats can increase bad cholesterol levels. This, in turn, increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The American Heart Association recommends that people choose a diet that limits calories to 5% to 6% from saturated fat. For example, if we need about 2,000 calories a day, no more than 120 of those calories should come from saturated fat, which is about 13 grams of saturated fat.

Unsaturated fats can help lower bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while providing essential nutrients the body needs.

We should follow the principle of balancing calories consumed with calories burned to maintain a reasonable weight; choose whole grains, lean meat and plant proteins, and a variety of fruits and vegetables; limit salt, sugar, animal fat, processed foods, and alcohol.

For a heart-healthy diet, we should choose lean meats and skinless poultry. Limit foods that use tropical oils such as coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc. Prioritize a diet that focuses on fish and nuts.

We can replace some meat with beans. Increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and grains in our diet helps our bodies absorb fewer calories.

Eat more fish: Eat at least 200-300g of unfried fish per week. Choose fatty or oily fish such as: anchovies, herring, mackerel, black cod, salmon, sardines, bluefin tuna, white fish, striped bass and cobia which are rich in essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Eat more nuts: Eat a small handful of unsalted nuts for good fats, energy, protein, and fiber. Good choices include almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.

Add avocado: Eat or cook with avocado to add healthy fats, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals.

Choose good cooking oils: Use cooking oils lower in saturated fat. Good choices include avocado, canola, corn, grapeseed, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, soybean, and sunflower oils.

Use fat-free and low-fat dairy products instead of full-fat products. For those who eat meat or poultry, choose the leanest varieties.